Peppermint has considerable commercial value and widely cultivated for essential oil production, especially menthol. The aim of this study was to determine the quantitative expression of pulegone reductase (pr), menthofuran synthase (mfs) and limonene synthase (ls) genes in menthol biosynthesis pathway in Mentha x piperita , using semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis and evaluating menthol producti...

(R)-(+)-Pulegone, a monoterpene constituent of pennyroyal oil, is a hepatotoxin that has been used in folklore medicine as an abortifacient despite its potential lethal effects. Pulegone is metabolized by human liver cytochrome P-450s to menthofuran, a proximate hepatotoxic metabolite of pulegone. Expressed human liver cytochrome (CYP) P-450s (1A2, 2A6, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4) were tested...

The application of biocatalysis for the asymmetric reduction of activated C=C is a powerful tool for the manufacture of high-value chemical commodities. The biocatalytic potential of "-ene" reductases from the Old Yellow Enzyme (OYE) family of oxidoreductases is well-known; however, the specificity of these enzymes toward mainly small molecule substrates has highlighted the need to discover "-e...

(R)-(+)-Menthofuran is a metabolite of (R)-(+)-pulegone, the chief constituent of pennyroyal oil. Menthofuran has been shown to account for a significant percentage of pulegone toxicity through further metabolism to a reactive intermediate, an enonal (2-Z-(2'-keto-4'-methylcyclohexylidene)propanal). Hydration of the enonal followed by a 1,4-dehydration and rearrangement gives rise to diastereom...

Our TLC study of the volatile oil isolated from Mentha longifolia showed a major UV active spot with higher Rf value than menthol. Based on the fact that the components of the oil from same plant differ quantitatively due to environmental conditions, the major spot was isolated using different chromatographic techniques and identified by spectroscopic means as pulegone. The presence of pulegone...

(R)-(+)-Pulegone, a monoterpene ketone, is a major component of pennyroyal oil. Ingestion of high doses of pennyroyal oil has caused severe toxicity and occasionally death. Studies have shown that metabolites of pulegone were responsible for the toxicity. Previous metabolism studies have used high, near lethal doses and isolation and analysis techniques that may cause degradation of some metabo...

The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the aerial flowering parts of Ziziphora clinopodioides subsp. bungeana (Juz.) Rech. f. was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Thirty-two components representing 97.1% of the total oil were identified. Oxygenated monoterpenes (94.3%) were the predominant fraction of the oil with pulegone (65.2%), isomenthone (11.9%), 1,8-cineole (7.8%) and piper...

BACKGROUND The genus Mentha, an important member of the Lamiaceae family, is represented by many species commonly known as mint. The insecticidal activity of Mentha oil and its main components has been tested and established against various insects/pests. Among these, the ketone monoterpenes that are most common in different Mentha species demonstrated insect toxicity, with pulegone being the m...

For many herbivorous mammals, oils from conifers are feeding repellents. Our study investigated effects of pine needle oil on feeding and other behaviors of northern pocket gophers. In onechoice feeding trials pocket gophers were offered sweet potato from single feeding stations placed into each subject's home cage. Stations contained either a scent dispenser with pine needle oil or with minera...

The essential oils (EOs) and static headspaces (HSs) of in vitro plantlets and callus of Mentha x piperita were characterized by GC-MS analysis. Leaves were used as explants to induce in vitro plant material. The EO yields of the in vitro biomass were much lower (0.1% v/w) than those of the parent plants (2% v/w). Many typical mint volatiles were emitted by the in vitro production, but the call...